subjectOf

subjectOf · Not mentioned by Google

Appears in

Organization

What is it?

subjectOf links an entity to creative works or events that are about that entity. If a news article, video, podcast episode, or case study is about your organization, subjectOf declares that relationship in structured data. It is the inverse of the about property: where a CreativeWork uses about to point to the entity it covers, the entity uses subjectOf to point back to the creative work.

The field accepts CreativeWork or Event objects. It applies to all schema.org types through Thing, but is most commonly used on Organization and Person.

Why this matters for AEO

When a user asks "What has been written about [company]?" or "news about [organization]", AI answer engines look for structured relationships between entities and content. subjectOf provides a direct, machine-readable link from your organization to press coverage, media appearances, case studies, and other content that features your brand.

This strengthens entity authority. An organization with multiple subjectOf references to credible publications signals to AI engines that the entity is notable and well-covered. This can improve the organization's prominence in knowledge panels, entity cards, and AI-generated summaries.

What the specs say

Schema.org: Expects CreativeWork or Event. "A CreativeWork or Event about this Thing." Inverse property: about. Source

Google: Not listed in Google's structured data documentation for Organization. Source

How to find your value

• Press coverage — URLs to news articles about your organization
• Media page — Listed press mentions and features
• Case studies — Published case studies featuring your company
• Podcast appearances — Episode pages where your organization is discussed
• Video features — YouTube or media platform URLs of features

Format and code

Linking to articles about the organization:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Figma",
  "subjectOf": [
    {
      "@type": "NewsArticle",
      "headline": "Adobe Acquires Figma for $20 Billion",
      "url": "https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/15/23354532/adobe-figma-acquisition",
      "publisher": {
        "@type": "Organization",
        "name": "The Verge"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Article",
      "headline": "How Figma Changed Design Collaboration",
      "url": "https://www.wired.com/story/figma-design-collaboration/"
    }
  ]
}

Simple URL reference:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Stripe",
  "subjectOf": {
    "@type": "Article",
    "url": "https://www.forbes.com/companies/stripe/"
  }
}

Linking to an event about the organization:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "OpenAI",
  "subjectOf": {
    "@type": "Event",
    "name": "OpenAI DevDay 2024",
    "url": "https://devday.openai.com"
  }
}

Webflow implementation

Static pages

Add subjectOf in Page Settings > Custom Code (before </head>):

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Your Company",
  "subjectOf": [
    {
      "@type": "Article",
      "headline": "Article About Your Company",
      "url": "https://publication.com/article-about-you"
    }
  ]
}
</script>

CMS template pages

For organization profiles with media coverage, create a multi-reference collection for press mentions. Since Webflow cannot output nested JSON arrays from multi-reference fields natively, use a rich text or plain text field for the most important press mention:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "{{wf {"path":"name","type":"PlainText"} }}",
  "subjectOf": {
    "@type": "Article",
    "url": "{{wf {"path":"press-url","type":"PlainText"} }}"
  }
}
</script>

In Schema HQ

Support is available for subjectOf in the Organization schema editor. Add press coverage URLs and article titles, and Schema HQ generates the nested CreativeWork objects in the published JSON-LD.

Real examples

No live implementations of subjectOf on Organization markup were found during research.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Notion",
  "subjectOf": [
    {
      "@type": "NewsArticle",
      "headline": "Notion Valued at $10 Billion in New Funding Round",
      "url": "https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/notion-valuation",
      "publisher": {
        "@type": "Organization",
        "name": "Bloomberg"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Related fields

• mainEntityOfPage — the page where this entity is the primary topic
• sameAs — links to profiles representing the same entity
• image — visual representations of the entity
• description — text summary of the entity

FAQ

What is the difference between subjectOf and mainEntityOfPage?

mainEntityOfPage identifies the canonical page that is primarily about this entity (e.g., your "About Us" page). subjectOf references any creative work or event that features this entity, including third-party content. Use mainEntityOfPage for your own canonical page; use subjectOf for external press coverage and media.

Should I include every article ever written about my organization?

No. Include the most significant, recent, and credible coverage. Five to ten high-quality references from recognized publications carry more weight than dozens of minor mentions. Keep the list current and remove outdated references.

Can subjectOf point to my own blog posts?

Yes, but it is more valuable when pointing to third-party coverage. Your own content about your organization is better represented through mainEntityOfPage or your site's article schema. subjectOf adds the most value when it creates relationships with external, credible sources.